As I revel in this first week of Autumn (my most favorite season) I also celebrate and revel in the fact that today is the one year anniversary of the launch of M. Interiors’ website and blog! I remember the launch day one year ago and the days leading up to this moment very vividly. Although M. Interiors was in the works before the launch of the website and blog, for me, sharing the website and blog to the world was a big leap and very symbolic that I was really doing this…formally launching my own interior decorating business, sharing my work product, ideas, personal journey and experiences within the realms of design to the world. Talk about scary! I mean really this is coming from a person whose biggest fear in life since I was little was the fear of failure.

{Image via Getty Images}

No doubt, interior design is my passion in life and they say to follow your passion, but it’s a lot easier to say than to actually do it. Also, starting something from scratch, that’s all up to you (no team or formal resources to rely on) is huge…well, at least for me it was and still is. What if I fail? Will people really read my blog and more importantly, if they do read my blog and follow my work will they feel inspired, connected with my journey, my experiences and my ideas?

{Image via Intrepid Learning}

The verdict is still out there and probably will be for years to come, but the last year has taught me that so far so good….. “Yes!” It seems that people are connecting and relating to my ideas, my work product and my experiences as it relates to design!

- I was pleased to see that my overall philosophy and goals of M.Interiors shared in this post are not only aligned with the journey that I experienced this past year, but also where I want to continue to focus M. Interiors. That is, to simply create a forum and provide an experience to share stories and ideas that inspire design into peoples’ lives and homes.

- I was also reminded that you can be your biggest obstacle in life. To have courage, faith and trust in yourself is so important.

- Lastly, I was pleasantly surprised to see my writing and blogging skills improve over time and also, more importantly my design approach and ideas are expanding and improving too. Practice. Practice. Practice. It’s the journey, right?

Certainly, during this past year I hit some bumps on the road, have made some mistakes and have encountered some challenges, but overall I could feel things were going well. I was and am always learning a ton, my ideas are positively being received, word of mouth is spreading and my project exposure and project load was and has been increasing. Yes, all wonderful indicators that I was on the right path.

I think it’s safe to say we all appreciate and enjoy (and need) positive feedback if warranted. One of my most favorite feedback moments was when I ran into my client in the neighborhood and she said “Maya, I could just hug you! The paint color you picked is perfect.” This interaction turned into an ‘ah-ha’ moment for me. This simple, yet genuine interaction reaffirmed that yes, I love my work because getting the right paint color that made someone love their home even more gave me a lot of satisfaction (who knew? I did.) and more importantly, I knew I was making a positive contribution (even if small) to someone’s home (a very sacred place for so many of us)…so much so that they wanted to give me a hug. That felt good. Yes….it feels good to present your authentic self to the world and for the world to respond positively. Simply put…it feels good doing something you know you’re supposed to be doing. And let’s face it…it’s awesome to earn some money while doing it!

So, yes, it’s been only a year since the launch….still lots of time to fail (and I’m sure I will experience some levels of failure at times), but I have to say….I’ve grown a lot over the last year. My biggest fear of failure that I’ve had since I was little has diminished (well, not completely…in a lot respects it keeps me going…pushing myself.), but my overall outlook has been transformed by just doing what I love (and working hard at doing it). Thanks to all my supporters and thanks to all my clients who have invited me to be a part of their home.

Here’s to many,many, many more great years of M. Interiors and M. blogging (until I retire to Sonoma, CA yes!), but more importantly, may each of us to be able to live our authentic self and have the Courage. Trust. Faith. to take the road less traveled. What’s your ‘road less traveled’?

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. - Robert Frost

Until next time…

~M

{Here’s some snapshots (moments in time) of some of my journey down my road this past year.}